Native Tongues- Hot New Mexican in YYC

Upon returning home to Calgary after a year overseas, there was a whole lotta buzz about Native Tongues Taqueria so naturally I HAD to check it out! Native Tongues is a Mexican restaurant (located on 12th ave) that serves up some mad tasty traditional Mexican eats! With a decor that screams "cool" and a variety of daring drinks (don't be surprised if it's on fire) and delicious dishes it is no surprise that this guy has become very popular (so much so that an hour wait, is often not out of the question). None the less, if you ask me, She's worth the wait ;) . Before we begin, if I can give you a word of advice, SHARE. You are gonna want to taste and try as many of these tasty dishes as possible!

ZANAHORIAS

First up we munched on the Zanhorias ($11 CAD) which are carrots (grown in Alberta #WIN) that are perfectly grilled and topped in agave butter, poblano crema (poblano is a mild chilli), queso fresco (a creamy soft and mild cheese) and my FAV, cilantro! These babies were SO tasty! To be honest, I forget that I was gettin in my veggies!

RAJAS con CREMA

Next up we munched on the Rajas con Crema ($11 CAD). Now this is the closest thing that Native Toungues Taqueria has to nachos on their menu. To be honest I didn't love the thick tortilla chips, I found them to be a bit greasy and not as crispy as I would have liked but the overall flavours of the dish were great! These guys were topped with grilled poblanos & onions, crema, fried epazote ( a Mexican herb) and guajillo (a type of chilli pepper).

Octopus Tostada

Okay this guy was MAD tasty. The thing with Native Tongues is that they often switch their tostada flavours (so just a heads up as I am making no guarantee this one will still be there). This bad boy was one of my favs of the night. With big meaty chunks of octopus, avocado, fresh herbs, onion and topped with a fresh squeeze of lime, the whole combination of flavours went perfectly with the crispy tortilla... YUM. This guy definitely reminded me of ceviche and lemme tell you, I LOVE ceviche!

TACOS DE GUISADO

We all know that if we are going for Mexican food, we are getting some form of taco. End of story. Now at Native Tongues, there are two different "types" of tacos. There are Tacos de Guisado which are served individually (pictured above) or Tacos al Carbon which are tacos served family style where you choose your filling and you build your own tacos. With a variety of tacos fillings on the menu, we decided to try the Tacos de Guisado ($3.75 CAD per taco). You can choose from the classics (pork, chicken beef) or switch it up with chorizo or my personal fav of the night the Hongos! The Hongos taco is a vegetarian taco that is absolutely delicious! This was the one taco that we ALL ordered another (after proceeding to polish off our taco platter... whoops). The Hongos are made of local mushrooms, kale and then topped with cream, queso fresco and cilantro. I don't know what it was about those mushrooms but they were next level!

FLAN MEXICANA

This Spanish flan ($10 CAD) was definitely a delicious end to the meal! Topped with caramel, coconut, almonds and plantains, this dessert wasn't overly sweet but was a nice light treat!

BIDI BIDI BOM BOM - Booty Shakin', Toe Tappin' , Fiesta Havin'

Yes that is in fact the name of this flaming drink! And if you ask me, you're gonna want to give it a try (unless you have your heart set on margaritas... there is no losing with margaritas). This bad boy ($13 CAD) was made of Appleton Estate Signature, Amaro Averna, Hibiscus Guajillo, Pineapple and Bittercube Corazon. This drink was DEFINITELY strong but none the less got this party started.